Automobile, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents

Automobile, truck, and motorcycle accidents are a leading cause of death and catastrophic injury in the United States. Driver error, negligence, inattention, distraction, and fatigue, as well as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, rank high on the list of causes of these incidents. In addition, car, truck and motorcycle accidents can be caused by improper road or highway signage or markings, defects in the roadway itself, and defective products, including tire tread separation, tire blowouts or other vehicle manufacturing defects. Injuries are made worse by defective seat belts and air bags. All of these factors contribute to the significant number of injuries and fatalities that occur in Florida and throughout the country each year. The sheer number of possible causes is also what makes these cases challenging, as defendants point fingers at each other, trying to shift the blame. That is why the legal skills and investigative prowess of the lawyers and investigators at Buckner + Miles are the difference between a fair recovery and an inadequate one. Our veteran Miami trial lawyers have years of experience working through these issues and holding those responsible accountable.

Car accidents: In 2014, 32,675 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents on U.S. roadways, and an additional 2.3 million people were injured. Of those fatalities, 2,494 occurred in Florida. The good news is that fatalities have decreased 25% from 2005 to 2014 and the number of people injured has decreased 13%. (Traffic Safety Facts 2015, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 812 219 (Nov. 2015)). However, despite tough laws and vigorous enforcement, in 2014 9,967 people were killed on U.S. roadways in accidents involving a driver with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit. That number represented 31% of the total traffic fatalities for the year. (Traffic Safety Facts 2015, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 812 231 (Dec. 2015)).

Truck accidents: Trucks, tractor-trailers, buses, RVs, emergency response/fire trucks and other large vehicles involved in roadway and traffic accidents also account for a significant number of personal injuries and deaths. Truck accidents caused 3,921 fatalities and 104,000 injuries in 2012. (Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 811 868 (May 2014)). Most of these fatalities are passenger vehicle occupants, who are at a marked disadvantage in a collision with a truck because these vehicles typically weigh many times more than a car and are taller. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/large-trucks/fatalityfacts/large-trucks). The average cost of a commercial truck accident is nearly $60,000, and the cost to society of all such accidents exceeds $20 billion annually.

Motorcycle accidents: A total of 4,381 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2013. Motorcyclist deaths had been declining since the early 1980s but began to increase in 1998 and continued to increase through 2008. Motorcycle deaths accounted for 13 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2013 and were more than double the number of motorcyclist deaths in 1997. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/motorcycles/fatalityfacts/motorcycles). Florida law does not require the use of helmets, and helmet use nationwide dropped to 54% in 2010, from 67% in 2009. (Traffic Safety Facts: Research Note, U.S. Dept. of Trans., National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2010)). Ten times more un-helmeted motorcyclists died (1,565) in states without universal helmet laws than in states with universal helmet laws (151 un-helmeted motorcyclist fatalities) in 2014. (Traffic Safety Facts 2015, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 812 219 (Nov. 2015)). The NHTSA reports that the lives of 1,669 motorcyclists were saved in 2014 by the use of helmets, and that another 660 lives would have been saved had all riders been wearing helmets. (Traffic Safety Facts 2015, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT HS 812 218 (Nov. 2015)). These and other statistics prove that helmets can help prevent death and serious injury.

As trial lawyers representing clients in state and federal courts in Florida and around the United States, we help people with serious personal injuries stemming from the accidents involving a car, truck, motorcycle, personal watercraft, or any other motorized vehicle, receive the just compensation to which they are entitled. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact the Florida accident attorneys at Buckner + Miles today by calling (305) 964-8003 for a free evaluation of your case. Or, you can fill out the contact form on our website, and someone from the firm will contact you.